THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 8, 1996 TAG: 9604080032
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Tony Battaglia's botanical garden is finally beginning to grow on median strips along Shore Drive.
For 20 years, Battaglia fretted over the six, two-block-long grass medians that bisect his Cape Story by the Sea neighborhood east of Great Neck Road. He deplored the nondescript medians as a sorry sight for the community and for commuters and tourists traveling the busy thoroughfare.
Last week, as a result of fund-raising efforts spearheaded by Battaglia, neighbor Gary Forrest and other residents of Cape Story, the city's Landscape Services Division planted the first two medians with flowers, grasses and trees.
The cooperative venture is part of Virginia Beach's Citizen/City Beautification Program, where civic leagues and garden clubs work with the city to beautify areas that aren't in the city's landscaping plans.
But the program's projects aren't often as large as the one in Cape Story, said Howard Lee, the city's superintendent of grounds maintenance. The size of the project and the amount of money are larger than anything he can remember.
Plants for the first two medians cost almost $5,000, and it will take $18,000 for enough plants to complete all six medians, according to plans drawn up by the city.
City grounds maintenance crews are doing the planting and will take care of ongoing maintenance, Lee said.
Yellow day lilies and crape myrtles will bloom in summer, red tulips in spring. Ornamental grasses will provide winter color, and other trees - live oak and sweet bay magnolia - will lend some height and shade.
The plants are drought-, salt- and wind-resistant, and some are colorful. Battaglia, who owns a fresh-vegetables brokerage, is pleased with the choices.
``I want a lively neighborhood!'' he said.
Lee doesn't need convincing.
``It's a very ambitious project. They must be very civic-minded in that neighborhood,'' Lee said. ``The projects that civic leagues and garden clubs do are usually a lot smaller in scope and usually involve property right in the neighborhood.''
The seeds for Battaglia's garden were sown when, at his urging, the Cape Story by the Sea Civic League voted to donate $1,000 toward landscaping the ugly medians.
Battaglia and Forrest went to Landscaping Services and told them they had $1,000 to beautify the six Shore Drive medians.
The city responded with a set of landscaping plans that had a price tag of $18,000 for plant materials.
``Everyone was shocked,'' Battaglia said. ``But Gary and I decided if that's what it takes, we can do it. But nobody had a clue we could.''
Battaglia and Forrest organized a fund-raising effort, and a group went door to door. Battaglia appealed to folks that ``good government starts in the neighborhood.''
Cape Story proved him right.
The neighborhood was fertile ground for funds. Everything from pocket change to $100 checks were donated. They also successfully solicited neighboring Cape Henry Shores Civic League, Cape Henry Shores Garden Club and the Shore Drive Merchants Association.
Soon, the $1,000 had grown to more than $5,000, enough to landscape the first two medians. Four medians remain, but Battaglia isn't worried. He has more neighborhood streets that haven't been solicited.
``We're also hoping people will see how pretty it is and give us more money,'' Battaglia said. ``I want a botanical garden out there!'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by CHARLIE MEADS, The Virginian-Pilot
Gary Forrest, left, and Tony Battaglia went door to door and raised
$5,000 to start the median beautification project in their Cape
Story neighborhood. And they're not finished yet.
Photo by CHARLIE MEADS, The Virginian-Pilot
Virginia Beach grounds maintenance workers such as Elbert Corprew
will give ongoing care to the plants that residents of Cape Story by
the Sea bought with money from a neighborhood fund drive.
KEYWORDS: NEIGHBORHOOD BEAUTIFICATION LANDSCAPING by CNB